8 August 2015

Had a quick breakfast, then later went with my aunt and cousins to nearby Virojoki.

Today was Saturday market day but there really wasn’t much to see. We did have coffee, listened to some classic Finnish music and took lots of pictures.

Terttu and I stopped at K-market grocery store (unfortunately, it wound up closing by the end of 2015) and S-market where I returned some empty bottles and cans. While Terttu went swimming with my cousin Merja’s family at the quarry, the rest of us went in search of a beach.

We found a beautiful sandy beach a few miles from the Virolahti church village. Spent a number of relaxing hours swimming, sunning and sleeping 🙂

On the way back, we stopped at the Vaalimaa (Russian) border crossing for lunch, then went back to S-market to buy some groceries. We visited an old school where they were holding some kind of event and hosting a flea market. Ernö picked up a suitcase for 12 euro. 5 people and lots of groceries sure fill up a small car!

Got back to Pihlaja, took a nap then went to the old family homestead for a cookout. Had a nice conversation with cousin Merja and her husband Mika, visiting from Porvoo.